Guy Fawkes

It's always struck me as strange that in England, we celebrate the failure of a revolutionary movement, when most countries celebrate their independence! Every year on the 5th of November, we celebrate the fact that Catholic Guy Fawkes and his fellow revolutionaries failed in their attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament, failed to kill the Protestant King, and thus the monarchy reigned on and the Catholic oppressing regime continued. All over the country, families will gather in fields and parks to burn a 'guy' on a huge bonfire, let off fireworks and eat autumnal food like toffee apples, soup, and cinder toffee. In our little North Yorkshire community, it's a big social event, taking place in a field owned by the local milkman, organised by the stalwarts of the village sports and social committee, and is one of the best displays around, despite being such a small local event.

 This week is also the meeting of my monthly journal group, and I am challenging them to use black and white as their only background colours, which seems appropriate, since the clocks recently went back, and that we shall all be looking up into the dark night sky at fireworks displays on Thursday. I decided to make my journal page a tribute to this strangest of festivals! My Stampotique 'Guy' is feeling the heat of the bonfire (although in reality, he wasn't burned to death in punishment, but threw himself to his death, breaking his neck, rather than await his grisly punishment of having his testicles cut off, his stomach opened and having his guts spilled out before his own eyes). His body was subsequently quartered and sent to the four corners of the kingdom as a lesson to any other would be plotters!

Of course, I couldn't just stick to black and white, so I had to jazz things up a bit with some liquid pearls!